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Friday, June 05, 2009

Don’t forget to vote Saturday

Altadena town council elections are Saturday, and we remind you to check out our election page for all the details.  We've recently added a dynamic Googlemaps version of the census tracts (thx to Jeremiah Small & Ruth Edwards for all their work on this!)

Since there aren't any hot issues, and only two contested seats, turnout is expected to be low.  And that's not a good thing — we got an email from election chair Bob Meyer that tells us why it's important to vote tomorrow:

Altadena Town Council doesn't get a lot of press, and frankly, many of our fellow Altadenan's are either unaware or don't think it's that important.  The reality is that they have influence in many facets of our community, from land use issues to traffic and roads as well as other local/neighborhood issues.  And the stronger the Town Council, the more influence they will have.  Given the precarious situation we find ourselves in with our state and local budgets, it is imparative that we have a strong council to represent our interests.

The best way I can sum up why it is important to vote in the upcoming election is as follows:

Why vote in the Altadena Town Council Election?

Altadena Town Council gives us all a collective voice with all of our local governmental agencies.  For the Council to be effective, it needs two important elements.  First, the confidence of the government that the council is competent and connected to the residents.  Second, the confidence of the residents that it represents their views.  Your involvement in the selection of your representative is critical to both of these elements necessary for the Council to be successful on your behalf.

Posted on Friday, June 05, 2009 at 12:10 AM in Town Council |

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Comments


Old old guy said…

I second the importance of casting a vote, even if you are in a tract without contest. If you don’t like your unopposed representative you can write in “none of the above” to show that you care about Altadena and would have liked to have a choice. Then convince someone you DO like to run next time.

I have a choice but I don’t know either Mr. Simmons or Mr. Westphal. Their statements don’t really indicate a position on the issues before, or likely to come before, the council and they both seem like nice fellows. Mr. Simmons didn’t get the number of the census tract right in his statement, so I’ll vote for Mr. Westphal.


Altadenablog said…

Don’t base your decision on the census tract number, Old Guy! Most of the statements — including Mr. Simmons — I hand-typed in because I didn’t get electronic copies. That’s probably my fault!


Hugo said…

Maybe Mr. Simmons and Mr. Westphal can post their positions on the issues here. I agree with Old old guy–I am from this tract, and all I have seen are lawn signs and brief bios. I want to know where they stand on Sahag Mesrob, the speeding on East Palm Street, updated Neighborwood Watch signs (and groups) and maybe a specfic blog site just for this tract.
Just my thoughts.


Bill Westphal said…

Hugo,

Everyone has different issues that they are concerned about. I appreciate your interest in our positions on your issues.

I am all for education. I served two terms on the Board Of Trustees for Saint Mark’s Episcopal School on Altadena Drive. However, there are established procedures in place and Sahag Mesrob did not follow those procedures. They should have filed for a Conditional Use Permit and I support the actions taken by the County of Los Angeles.

Speeding on ALL Altadena Streets is a matter for the California Highway Patrol. A representative from the CHP attends all Altadena Town Council Meetings and they have been very receptive to these types of concerns. I’m sure they would be willing to focus their attention on the East Palm area.

I’m not sure what you are referring to regarding “updated” Neighborhood Watch Signs (and groups). I have volunteered with the Altadena Sheriff’s Station for since 1999 and have been involved with organizing Neighborhood Watch Groups. I would be glad to hear, and address your specific concerns in this area.

Communications is one of the areas I would like to focus on. Communications from the Community to the Altadena Town Council and vice versa. I currently maintain the website for Altadena Town Council and, if elected, would like to create a blog site (or something similar) for EACH Census Tract. What concerns those on the East side does not necessarily concern those on the West side. Having a blog for each Census Tract would be an ideal way to communicate to the members of each Census Tract on the matters that concern them.

It’s important to vote in tomorrows election, regardless of who you vote for. Please take the time to make your voice heard.

Bill Westphal


Hugo said…

Thanks Bill. My wife and I always vote.
And what I meant about the signs is that I have seen several posted, and they are rusted and bent…and whichever Neighborhood Watch group is responsible, should pay attention in making sure they look decent and up to date. And I would like to know if there is a way to find out if there is a Neighborhood Watch group in my area.

Thanks again for responding and good luck.